Tired of Being Cold
by Akira Minato
Summary: Jack Frost is fed up with being the Odd-One-Out.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own RotG, but oh, god, those EYES! *faints*

Jack: *pokes her with his toe* Is it dead...?

* * *

"Jack, what's wrong?" Tooth asked, concern filling her voice.

"Yeah, Frostbite, what's eating you?" Bunny echoed Tooth's question with a bit less sentiment.

"What do you think?!" Jack whirled on his fellow Guardians, the true extent of the problem finally showing through, "Just take a wild guess!"

North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy stared, awestruck, at the youngest Guardian.

"What is it, Jack?" North asked, "Please, explain."

"I'm a Guardian, now, right?" Jack asked, tensly.

The rest of them nodded, uncertain as to where he was going with this.

"Then why hasn't anything changed?"

A blur of images danced over Sandy's head, forming a question.

"You guys get to be loved!" Jack fumed, "You're _Santa _and _The _Easter Bunny and _The _Tooth Fairy and _The _Sand Man! You get 'Look what Santa left for you, Alice!' and 'Lets go hunt for Easter Eggs, John!' and 'Oh, wow, the Tooth Fairy came!' and the joy on their faces when they have a really good dream! You get to be warm and cuddly! You get kids that try and stay up all night to see you! But me? I get 'Put on a coat, Billy. You don't want to get nipped on the nose by Jack Frost.' and 'Put your hat on, Jill. You'd hate to get nipped by Jack Frost.' " His face twisted in disgust, and tears glistened in his icy eyes, "No one sits up and waits for me! Snow days don't get a 'Thank you, Jack' or a, 'Yay, Jack Frost.' Not once! Not ever! They still don't believe in me, do they?!"

"Of course they do..." Tooth tried to comfort the snow child, "These thing just take time, Jack, I'm sure they'll - "

"Save it, Tooth." Jack spat, "You don't have to patronize me. I've been invisible for three hundred years. _I'm used to it._"

With those final words, Jack stormed out of Santoff Clausen into the vast expanse of snow and ice.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0

"Why, that little..." Bunnymund was unable to think of a suitable word to describe his current thoughts on Jack as the Frost Sprite stormed away.

"Aster..." North warned, "Calm yourself.

"Calm myself?!" He turned on the elder Guardian with eyes that were bright with anger, "Calm ain't within cooee, now, mate! Not with that little snot running around acting like he's caught in the middle of a Shakespearian tradedy!"

North disregarded Bunnymund's exaggerations.

"The boy has done nothing wrong, Aster." He said, "He is merely...upset."

"Why?" Bunny snapped, "What reason does he have to be upset after all we've given him?"

"He does not feel accepted." North explained, "Does not feel he belongs with us, perhaps."

"Oh, that's a corker of a breakthrough, there." Bunny said, "Here's a nwesflash for you, Nick. He _doesn't _belong here. We take our jobs seriously, while he lolligags about like the irresponsible little nuisance he is! For three hundred years all he did was get in the way, so why should it be any different - "

"E. Aster Bunnymund, don't you say another word!" Tooth exclaimed.

Bunny and North both froze, shocked at Tooth's outburst.

"He wasn't doing it to be a nuisance, or to get in our way." She said

"Why _was _he doing it, then?" Bunny demanded, his voice holding the same anger, and bitterness at a lower volume.

"Because he wanted to be noticed." She said, "He's still a child. He died at turning point in his life, and when Manny brought him back, he had no idea what was going on. He was frightened, and alone, and no one knew he was there. And he was still a child. For three hundred years we've been breaking the promises we made when we became Guardians by leaving him to fend for himself."

Realization had slowly wieghed down North's and Bunnymund's expressions as Tooth spoke.

"Now we have a chance to make good on those promises." Tooth continued, her voice softening slightly, "And I don't know about you two, but I'm going to take it."

l0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lo l0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lo l0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lo l0lol0lol0lol0lol0

Jack kicked savagely at another innocent snow drift, taking his anger out on the frozen powder.

He was still just as invisibe now as he'd ever been. Despite Tooth's efforts, most of the children that had been there that night had forgotten him entirely.

Jamie had held on the longest, but as he'd gotten older, the teasing for his continued belief in the 'imaginary' sprite had become more and more vicious until eventually he had started to lie. He agreed that there was no such thing as Jack Frost, and while, at first, there had been definate indecision and regret behind his words, over time they had started coming easier and easier to him until he, too, had stopped believing.

Sophie was still young enough to insist that Santa and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real, but even in her mind, Jack was a faded memory, like the teddy bear she no longer slept with.

"Something troubling you, Frost?"

He tensed.

He'd know that voice anywhere.

* * *

Yep. Jack!angst. I might make another Chapter. Depends.

Edit!

Thanks to popular demand, I have updated this chapter, and am currently writing the next section. CLIFFHANGER! MUAHAHA!

Plenty more angst, and a good ration of whump to come. Thank you for all the reviews and follows!


	2. Chapter 2

FINALLY! I'm so sorry for the wait, you guys! I've been really busy! But here's chapter two, and there's more in the works!

WARNING: From this point onward there will be mention of physical and psychological torture, and HEAPS of angst. If that's something you can't handle, tread carefully!

* * *

"Something troubling you, Frost?"

He tensed.

He'd know that voice anywhere.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

"Pitch." He spat the name without turning around.

"Oh, that's sweet. You remember me." Pitch purred, sliding closer on his oil slick of Night Mare sand.

"What do you want?" Jack asked, remaining rigid and alert.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Jack." Pitch assured him.

"Then why are you here?"

"I hear you're loosing believers."

That struck home.

Jack's whole demeanor changed. His eyes widened, and his jaw clenched. He was no longer showing anger, but shock, and hurt, and fear.

"Ah. Thank you." Pitch seemed to stand a little straighter, his sand to shimmer a little darker, "That was just what I needed."

"Needed...for what...?" Jack asked, horrified by what he knew the answer was going to be.

"This."

Pitch leapt forward, his movement fluid and quick, like that of a viper.

He knocked Jack's staff from his hand, and in seconds had an iron grip around the sprite's throat.

Jack twisted and thrashed, causing Pitch's claw-like fingers to draw blood.

"Oh, this is lovely," Pitch chuckled, "I haven't felt this powerful in ages."

Jack's lungs burned as he tried to suck air past the vice of Pitch's hand.

"But I'm not through with you yet," Pitch continued, "You're coming with me."

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

Tooth came whizzing into the workshop in a flurry of leftover snowflakes, and speech that was blurred by the speed at which she was trying to force the syllables out of her mouth.

"Woah, there, Tooth," Bunny stopped her forward motion by placing his paws on her shoulders, "Slow down, and tell us again."

"_Jack is missing!" _She gasped.

"What?!" North jerked to his feet, shocked, "How you know this?"

"I found his staff...and...and..." She shuddered, and held out her hand.

In her palm, a pool of nightmare sand undulated as though it was a living thing.

Sandy quickly approached, and with a swipe of his hand, the sand turned golden and poured in a glittering stream onto the floor.

Both North and Bunnymund cursed almost simultaniously.

"Pitch..." North said, "How can he be back so soon?"

"I dunno, Nick," Bunny said, grimly, "But if he's got his claws into Jack, we need to find his new hidey hole. And fast."

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

Jack's eyes snapped open, struggling to make out any sort of form in the endless blackness.

"Finally come around, have you?" Pitch mocked, a hint of dry humor in his voice.

Jack shot upright, trying to scramble back, and tripping over something in the dark.

Pitch's disturbing laugh echoed through his consciousness.

"You can't escape, Jack." He said, "And besides. Once you realize what's going on, I don't think you'll want to."

Jack frowned, standing slower this time as Pitch came into view. An actively burning flame writhed in his hand.

"You know...I'd imagine it's awfully difficult to make frost in a fire..." He mused, "Especially when you don't have your precious staff..."

Jack felt the chill of fear settle deep in his core. Pitch faded away, leaving the flame to float, and expand.

The space that Jack had woken in slowly began to take shape around him.

A burning house.

Jack panicked. There was bright fire everywhere, scorching everything it touched. The heat made his skin crawl. He had to get out.

He staggered towards where he somehow knew the door would be. Wait...why did he know where the door was...?

No. That wasn't important right now, he just had to get out.

Hot ash stung his eyes, and the glare of the flames made it almost impossible to see. He tripped over anything that got in his way, scalding his feet on burning debris.

Why did this place seem so familiar...?

"_Jack!_"

No...no, he knew that voice. He'd never forget that voice.

"_Jack, get us out of here! It hurts, Jack!_"

He turned around, pure terror putting everything in hyper-focus.

And then he saw them.

Jamie and his little sister, trapped in a cascade of flaming wood and insulation.

_Jamie..._

He could see the pain and fear in the eyes of both of the children as he pushed himself through wave after wave of heat and pain to get back to them.

A deafening crack pealed through the air, and a section of the ceiling, set ablaze, finally gave in over the two children.

"_JAMIE!" _Jack screamed, skidding to a stop before the burning pile.

No longer caring what happened to him, Jack clawed at the scalding wood, taking beams and shoving them out of the way. No. Jamie could not be dead. Not Jamie. Not Jamie.

The sleeves of his sweatshirt soon caught fire, sending the heat licking up his arms, but he didn't stop. He had to find Jamie. Had to find...

More of the ceiling gave, crushing the frost sprite in an impervious wall of searing pain.

He screamed. He screamed until his throat and lungs felt like they were full of broken glass.

And slowly, everything else dissappeared, until Jack's whole world was reduced to this endless inferno, shot with pain, guilt, and the knowledge that sooner or later, he would have to die.

* * *

So...yep. There it is! Hope you like it! R&R, please?


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, you guys have waited long enough. Here's Chapter Three :)

* * *

And slowly, everything else disappeared, until Jack's whole world was reduced to this endless inferno, shot with pain, guilt, and the knowledge that sooner or later, he would have to die.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

Tooth fluttered about, nervously. She'd tried to sit still, she really had, but she was so...so worried. Pitch had Jack. Pitch also had a grudge.

"Oh...what's going to happen to him?" She murmered, her face tight with worry.

"Tooth, you have to calm down." Bunny placed his hands gently on her shoulders, "We're all worried about him, but no matter how long it takes, Sandy will find him."

"Yes. Do not be worrying, Toothiana," North, too, joined his friends, "We will find where Pitch is hiding."

Tooth nodded, shaking with tears.

"I just...I'm so worried about him..." She sobbed, "If we don't find him soon, I...I can't imagine..."

Bunny pulled his feathered friend into his arms. This was one of the few situations in which he was willing to be a comforting presence, as opposed to an intimidating one.

"It's going to be alright, Tooth." He said, "Have a little faith."

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

Jamie Bennett had stopped believing in the Guardians a long time ago. At least...he said he had. Deep in the back of his mind, buried under more 'important' things like schoolwork and the latest technology, the little boy who had met the Guardians in person, brought Jack Frost to life, and defeated the Boogeyman, still fought on. He still believed.

But even Jamie didn't know that he still believed. The words 'There's no such thing as Santa Claus' came as easily to him as two plus two.  
He stared out the window, into the garden where his sister and her friends were playing. They were still so young. They ran around in the garden, squealing and laughing. He remembered when he'd been that young. But that time had long passed.

He was in middle school, now. An eighth grader. He was too old for myths and made-up creatures.  
He sighed, and grabbed his coat, heading outside. He didn't know why, but for some reason whenever he was bored or sad, going out to the old lake in the woods made him feel better. It made him feel at home. More at home than he usually did in his house, even.

As he'd gotten older, Jamie had started to fight with his parents more. They rubbed him the wrong way. They still treated him like he was eight years old. He was thirteen! The least they could do was have a little faith in him!

His sigh stretched before him in an opaque stream of mist. The air was still bitingly cold for now, but the temperature had been slowly rising for the past few days.

It was an extremely rare occurrence in Burgess to have a warm spell this early in the cold season. Usually the temperature didn't start to rise again until mid-March.

He wondered vaguely what could be causing the Temperature change. He passed it off for some freakish science phenomenon that he didn't care to understand.

After all, science was what made everything work, wasn't it?

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

Jack gasped and his eyes snapped open. Bolting upright, he looked around, eyes wild with terror, chest heaving.

He could feel cold stone underneath him, but he could see nothing. The vivd pain of being slowly crushed by flaming debris still lingered on his skin, though he was slowly coming to realize that he'd been dreaming.

"Finally awake, Jack?" Pitch's voice echoed in the cavernous darkness, "That's good. I was beginning to get bored of listening to your incessant whimpering..."

Jack lashed out wildly at the air, trying to scramble away from the sound.

"I'm glad to see my Nightmare had an effect on you." He purred, "It was tailor-made for you, as I'm sure you've figured out by now."

Jack was still swinging wildly into the air, unknowingly bringing himself closer and closer to the edge of his platform.

"I wouldn't keep that up if I were you." Pitch warned, "I'd hate for you to fall prematurely."

Jack gasped and went deathly still, feeling the edge under his hand.

"That's much better." Pitch said, "Now at least I'll get the chance to show you what you're dealing with."

Jack glanced down when the darkness started to disperse, and what he saw chilled him to the bone.

Water. Unfathomably deep. Looming underneath him as unescapable as fate.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Pitch leered, "How fear can come from two such incredibly different sources as fire and water..."

Jack swallowed the fearful cry that was rising in his throat.

"Oh don't bother trying to hide it." Pitch laughed, "I can feel your fear. You're practically radiating it."

Jack refused to give Pitch the satisfaction of letting his fear show.

"Well, if you're just going to sit there like a lump, I suppose I'll have to motivate you somehow, won't I?" Pitch mused, "After all, what's the use of all this water if you're not going to fall in?"

Jack's eyes went wide as a nightmare creature started to take form in front of him, pawing and snorting.

"Oh, aren't you just precious?" Pitch sneered, "Frozen with fear are we? Well, let's see what happens when I give you a little push in the right direction."

The creature mock charged, causing Jack to slip on the weathered stone, and fall backwards towards the water.

Pitch's laugh echoed in his ears as he fell into the water. His momentum couldn't take him very deep, however, before the water began to freeze around him, encasing him in a tight capsule of ice.

He tried to slow his panicked breathing. Conserving what little air he had was vital at this point. But that was a job that was easier said than done. And he knew that no matter how careful he was, eventually the air was going to run out.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the next update, lovlies!

* * *

He tried to slow his panicked breathing. Conserving what little air he had was vital at this point. But that was a job that was easier said than done. And he knew that no matter how careful he was, eventually the air was going to run out.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

North and Bunnymund had retreated to North's study. They were trying desperately to come up with a plan of action. A way to save Jack from their common foe.

Tooth flitted around the room, her fraying nerves making it impossible for her to sit still.

The Sandman had been attempting to get their attention for a long while, now, but to no avail. His fellow Guardians were far too caught up in their own troubles to notice the silent figure.

Finally, Tooth could stand no more.

"Enough!" She cried, "All this planning is useless! We're running out of time!"

North and Bunnymund looked at eachother, grimly.

"What other option have we?" North asked, as gently as he could.

"We find Jack!" Tooth insisted, "Don't worry about _how _we're going to get him free until we at least know where he is!"

"And how are we supposed to find him, Toothiana?" Bunnymund snapped, "We don't even know where to start looking!"

Sandy looked around for an elf. He had to get their attention somehow.

Lifting one of the tiny creatures by its hat, Sandy shook it, violently, using the bell attatched to the tip of its hat to attract the other Guardians' attention.

When they finally looked his way, a flurry of mildly angered images passed over his head.

"Jamie!" Tooth gasped, "Jamie could help us find him!"

"Tooth..." North sighed, "Little Jamie Bennet's light went out long time ago..."

"Wh - " Tooth's bottom lip quivered, "But...but he...he was our little trooper...when did he...?"

"Three years ago was when it started, I think..." Bunnymund said, sadly, "When he hit the double digits. Got too old for us..."

"B-but...Jamie...not little Jamie..." Tooth murmered, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "Left central incisor knocked out in a freak sledding accident..."

She managed to choke out those last few words before she completely broke down.

"W-we...we h-have t-to get h-him b-back..." He sobbed, "W-we have t-to try..."

"We will, Tooth." Bunny said, "We'll try."

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

On his way through the woods to the lake, Jamie's eye was caught by something bright and colorful just off the path.

"What the..." He bent to pick it up, "An Easter egg...? In the middle of winter...?"

Looking into the underbrush, he saw another brightly painted egg, a little farther off the path.

Stooping to pick up this second prize, he caught sight of a third, just a little farther into the woods.

And so it went on like this for a good long while. Egg after egg leading Jamie just a little farther into the woods until finally, the trail ended in a small clearing.

Setting down the armful of eggs he had collected, Jamie looked around in quiet awe. Something shiny in the center of the clearing caught his eye, and he made his way over to it.

Picking it up off the ground, he found that is was a brightly colored, half-cylinder. Brushing his fingers across the diamond pattern on the top, he was surprised when it seemed to dissolve, revealing a tiny set of pearly white teeth.

He was submerged in memories from his not-so-distant past. Memories of the Guardians.

The eight year old believer in his heart stirred, grasping painfully at his chest. His breath caught in his throat as he looked up from the box to see them all standing there, hopefully.

"You...you are real..." He breathed.

Their faces lit up, and Tooth gave a happy cheer, flying over to him, and enveloping him in her arms.

"Oh! I knew you wouldn't give up that easily!" She cried, "Look at you! You're so big! Let's see those teeth. Have you been flossing?"

"Tooth!" Bunny chuckled, "Let the kid breath, will you?"

It took a few moments, around Tooth's frantic hugging, North's joyful laugh, and Bunnymund's aloof approval to notice that something was off.

"Wait...where's Jack?" He asked, suddenly.

As the question left his lips, the joy in the air seemed to grow heavy and stale.

"That is why we bring you here, Jamie." North rumbled, "Jack Frost is...missing."

Tooth bit her lip, and Sandy reached up to grab her hand in a reassuring gesture.

"We think..." Bunny hesitated to continue until North gave a solemn nod of his head, "We think Pitch got a hold of him."

"Wh - " Jamie's eyes widened in shock, "But Pitch is dead! How...that's not possible!"

The Guardians all wore looks of dismay.

"We don't know how he did it, either." Tooth said, "But we have to find him."

"You're not kidding!" Jamie exclaimed, "If there's anything I can do..."

"Listen, Jamie." Bunny said, "There's no need to be digging yourself in too deep. We all know how busy you are, now. We'll only take the time you're willing to give."

Jamie nodded his understanding. His winter break had just gotten a thousand times more interesting.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol 0lol0lol0lol0

During his time in the ice, Jack had nothing to do but think.

He thought about the Guardians. How long had he been here? Were they still looking for him? Had they even noticed that he was gone?And what about Jamie? Was the nightmare he'd had pure fantasy, or had something like that really happened?

As the air slowly ran out, his thoughts turned to less complex problems. The persistent ache of hunger in his belly. The slow, numbing chill creeping in from the surrounding ice. He had felt cold like this before. After all, he was Jack Frost. But it still hurt. It reminded him of the three hundred years when the cold and the wind were his only friends.

The strange thing about Jack's powers was that, because they were elemental, they were never completely under his control. They had a mind of their own, and when he was threatened they tended to go out of their way to destroy whatever it was that was threatening him. But the elements he controlled did still draw power from him to some extent, and so, as he started to loose consciousness, the ice around him started to crack.

He gasped as a tiny flow of air was allowed into the frozen encasement around him, cold and fresh. He sucked it into his lungs, almost greedily, gasp after gasp of fresh oxygen. It felt like he was waking up after a long sleep. He was still drowsy but the fresh air was envigourating as it filled his lungs.

Before his powers' natural and almost unavoidable tendancy to freeze liquids without him noticing could close the connection between him and his source of oxygen, he reigned it in, holding it back from re-sealing the ice.

But the ice above him wasn't the only thing that had cracked. He felt something cold slosh against his feet. He didn't need to be able to look down to know what it was. The water was leaking in.

Immediately, Jack's instinct was to seal himself in again. But if he did that, he'd only start the countdown to suffocation over again. There was no way out.

The water was up to his calves.

His next attempt to free himself was to break the encasement around him. This, too, was a bad idea.

The ice surrounding him was too thick to break, and he only succeeded in widening the leak. Letting the water in faster.

Now it was up to his thighs.

He began to panic as more cracks began to form in the melting ice. He was going to drown. He was going to die!

The water had reached his chest.

He looked up as far as he could. Pitch was standing there, on the surface, leering at him.

"Get me out of here!" He begged.

Pitch merely laughed.

The Night Mare sand was seeping in through his one connection to the surface. It tiwned itself around him, rough and sharp and almost greasy. It felt wrong. Corrupted. Not like Sandy's Dream Sand at all.

His mind was racing. The water was at his chin. It was ready to engulf him. Swallow him whole.

And if, by some miracle, it didn't, he realized, as his world went black, he'd be back at the mercy of Pitch's Night Mares once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh my goodness! Sorry, you guys!

* * *

And if, by some miracle, it didn't, he realized, as his world went black, he'd be back at the mercy of Pitch's Night Mares once more.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0l ol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0

Jamie spent every minute that he could over his winter break helping the Guardians in any way that they'd allow him to.

But all too soon, school started again, and the time he was able to dedicate to finding Jack was severely taxed.

Even with all the help that Jamie was able to give, it had taken two months for them to find Pitch's new layer.

The Nightmare King had covered his tracks frighteningly well. He seemed to have altered the Night Mare sand in the time that he'd been away. So much so, in fact, that Sandy could barely trace it anymore.

But despite all this, after two months of tireless searching, they had finally found it. Pitch's hiding place.

"This is it," North announced to the gathered Guardians, and Jamie (who had insisted on coming), "I feel it. In my belly."

Jamie couldn't help laughing at that, and Tooth put a fond hand on his shoulder.

But just as North was about to leave the group to prepare the sleigh, a Yeti stormed in from the outer Guard, coated in snow and ice crystals.

"A storm, you say?" North rumbled, "That _would _cause problem..."

"What?!" Tooth squeaked, "You mean we're not going?!"

"I can't risk reindeer in weather as bad as this..." North said, solemnly, "And besides. If Jack is injured, he would prefer smooth ride home, yes?"

Bunny tried to hide his relief.

Tooth, however, shook her head, and began to flit about the room, packing a small back which she slung over her shoulder.

"Tooth?" Bunny called, "What d'you think you're doing?"

"I'm going." She said.

There was no room for discussion in her tone.

Bunny just stood there, dumbstruck.

"But..."

"No, Bunny." She said, winding a scarf around her neck, "He's waited for us long enough. I'm going."

She didn't allow for another word of protest before she slipped out into the raging storm outside.

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0l ol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0

Jack had lost track of how long he'd been at Pitch's mercy...how long he'd been in the cavernous room, shackled to the corner like a dog...how long he'd been...alone...

When he'd first woken up after his near drowning, Pitch had been vicious. He'd come what Jack assumed was every day, and Jack had recieved countless bruises and shallow cuts, so that now, even the slightest of movements hurt.

He'd been terrified to hear Pitch's footsteps outside the door.

At first, he'd been relieved when they'd started to pass by without stopping. But then time dragged on. He began to get paranoid. And then aching loneliness set in, and he longed for the footsteps to stop. To hear the scrape of the key in the lock. To have someone acknowledge that he was there.

And eventually, even that longing faded away.

He was convinced, now, that the Guardians had forgotten about him. He was certain that he would be stuck here forever. Alone. Unnoticed for another three hundred years. Maybe more.

So when he heard footsteps outside the door, he barely paid any attention.

When the door swung silently open, he barely noticed.

"Jack?"

It was barely a whisper, but his automatic defenses responded with an icy pulse to warn away anything that would try to hurt him.

"Jack...it's me..."

The next thing to come was the wind, whipping around him and tossing up the ice crystals like tiny darts that would bite and sting.

"Jack!"

Every sound only intensified his reaction. Whatever it was that was threatening him, now, he wanted it _out._

0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0l ol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0lol0

"Jack!" Tooth called over the howling wind.

She thought it had been too easy to get through Pitch's lair and find Jack.

So this was what he'd had in store. To use Jack's misdirected defenses against her.

She struggled against the wind as tiny ice crystals sliced at her face and hands. Progress was slow. Painfully slow. But finally, she made it to Jack's side.

"Jack. It's me. Tooth," She murmered, putting her hands on his shoulders.

His eyes snapped open, and he gasped. Everything went still.

Jack all but melted into Tooth's gentle touch. A soft whimper escaped him, and Tooth had to bite her lip to stop herself crying.

What had Pitch done to him...?

She soon found out when she began to move her hands to undo the shackle at his wrist.

"No!" Jack yelped, bringing his free hand up to grasp, desperately at one of her wrists, "Don't go! Please! D-don't leave me alone..."

She gave a quiet gasp.

"Jack," She placed a hand gently under his chin, "Look at me."

He did as he was told.

"I'm not going anywhere," She promised, "Look."

She undid the shackle, keeping within his like of sight.

He brought the scraped, raw wrist up to his chest, curling around it as though that might stop it from hurting.

Tooth wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and for a second time, he seemed to melt into her touch. He unashamedly nuzzled closer to her, despite the pain of moving, craving the comfort he'd been starved of for the last two months. Aching to be acknowledged.

Both Tooth and Jack tensed when the gostly shreik of a Night Mare echoed down the hall. Jack whimpered, utterly terrified.

"Come on, Jack." Tooth murmered, scooping the injured frost child into her arms, wincing when he cried out in pain, "Let's get you out of here."

Just as the hoofbeats reached the door, Tooth spotted a window, high on the wall, and leapt for it. The jostling movement made Jack yelp again, but Tooth gritted her teeth and kept moving. She could get him to safety soon enough if he could just hang on.

She and Jack together just barely fit through, but in moments they had made it back to the outside world.

The storm had gotten worse.

Had Tooth been alone, she would've carried on without regard for the weather, but now she had Jack with her.

She had to stop somewhere.

Spotting an old, abandoned cabin, Tooth dove towards it just as a loud crack of thunder rolled overhead, sending Jack clutching tight to her, shaking and whimpering in fear and pain.

"It's alright, Jack," She murmured as she slipped in at one of the windows, "Nothing's going to hurt you."

She set him down next to the fireplace, shut the window, and began to flit about and make a fire.

Jack curled up on himself, trying to replicate the way her touch had felt on his skin, but only succeeding in aggrivating his wounds. He hoped fervently that she wouldn't just dissappear.

She didn't.

Once she had gotten the fire going, she sat down next to him, and put her arms around him again.

He leaned his head on her shoulder, and curled up close to her warmth with a sigh.

Now all they had to do was wait.


End file.
